Pure Will

by Kristi Pelton

  Her crystal blue eyes with little round halos stared up at me. Though they were swollen from shed tears, they were the only eyes I ever wanted to look into. She moistened her lips with her tongue and that was my cue, I lowered my lips to hers and took full possession of her mouth. Abby was my girl…from day one I knew she loved me taking over and dominating when it came to our sex life and I never let her down. In the beginning of course, I allowed her to navigate things, but once we’d broken that barrier, she was mine. One hundred percent mine. And outside of the bedroom, I was one hundred percent under her spell.

  She needed a slow, lazy roll in the hay right now, a forget-about-what-was-happening-fuck. As I nudged her legs apart, the phone rang and we both stopped. We learned once before never to ignore a phone call. I brushed a quick promising kiss over her lips then grabbed the phone.

  “Hello?”

  “Dad.”

  “William. How are you?”

  “Dad, listen. Don’t tell mom. He called the police. I need you to come pick me up.”

  My eyes flicked over Abby. Damn it. More hurt.

  “Where?”

  “Douglas county jail.”

  “I’m on my way.”

  The boy knew that his mother was more a momma bear now more than ever. I wasn’t going to lie to her if she asked.

  “Will needs me real quick. I’ll be back.”

  She stood with worry etching the too early lines in her face. “What’s wrong?”

  “Everything will be fine. Please just let me do this, Abby.”

  “Drew! What? Is it Camden?”

  I grabbed my cell in the kitchen and shoved my wallet in my back pocket.

  “No. It’s not. Promise. Will just needs my help with something.”

  She darted around and stood in my way.

  “Please tell me.” Her eyes were pleading with me along with her voice.

  I couldn’t do it. Will would be upset but I had to live with my girl.

  “He was arrested. Max called the police and is pressing charges.”

  She gasped but then something in her eyes…they were suddenly hard sapphires and her jaw clenched.

  “Let’s go,” she gritted. “I’m tired of this asshole screwing with my family.”

  A slow smile spread over my face. That’s my girl.

  CHAPTER—Camden

  Six of the longest, most torturous, most agonizing days of my life had passed since I’d left Lawrence. Dad and Tracy had been gone and were supposed to be home tomorrow. Joah kept me company and he, Marni and I would eat dinner together in the evenings. I guess I should say, she cooked and tried to coax me into eating. Joah kicked my ass in chess and I kicked both of theirs in spades. I cried, they let me. I talked, they listened. And sometimes, I sat and stared out across our land while Marni would silently scratch my back just like my mom used to.

  I promised myself on day sevenI would turn on my phone. I hadn’t turned it on to even look at phone calls or texts. I knew I’d go straight back to Will’s arms and I couldn’t do that knowing that they needed Max too. Tomorrow. That’s when I would check my phone. That was also the day I’d make a decision on what I was going to do.

  I had taken all my finals and arranged trustworthy tutors for Ham and Eli. Most students left for Christmas break now anyway…I just usually didn’t. Thanksgiving was the best holiday I’d had in…forever and I looked so forward to Christmas. Now, I just hoped I survived.

  Most people counted down to Christmas…I was counting days without Will. The day of impact. Day 7—phone day. Sleep eluded me through the night, but by morning I had dozed. Finally, around 11:30, I was out of bed and rifling through my things to find my phone. Must have been in my purse. Kitchen.

  Still in Will’s shirt that had worn all week without washing, I flung open my door with the first feeling of hope I’d had in a week. The thought of hearing his voice. As I rounded the corner, I ran smack into something that knocked me back onto my butt. There, in my father’s house, stood Max. But not just Max. A really effed up Max. His face was green and blue and purple. One eye still swollen, and what I could see of it was red, blood red. The left lower part of his jaw jutted out and his other eye seemed vacant…empty.

  “Max,” I whispered.

  “Sweetheart.”

  That one word made the hair on my neck stand at complete attention.

  “What are you doing here?” I casually asked hiding my fear.

  “Cam. I live here. But tell me sweet girl, what brings you south? You always liked to go south. Didn’t you? And you loved when I went south on you. Seems others have a different idea of what we had. You said you loved me. I remember it clearly. But, others feel like I forced you. Did I force you?”

  My heart raced and I pulled Will’s t-shirt further down my thighs stretching it just a bit. I shook my head.

  “No,” I squeaked sounding weak. “What happened to you?”

  He chuckled. “Seriously? Don’t act like you don’t know.” He slid his belt from the first loop then unbuckled it.

  I back stepped swallowing the terror growing inside of me. Joah was watching. I knew he would be. He always watched. He said that!

  “Your boyfriend thought it would be funny to take me to his house so he and his old man could jump me.”

  What?? Will jumped him?

  “Now he’s sitting in a jail cell though. Probably taking it up the ass,” he laughed.

  Nausea swarmed over me. God, what had I done by not checking my phone?

  “You know, baby girl. Just how you liked it.”

  His words made me tighten with disgusted memories.

  “I didn’t like that Max. I was young and stupid and weak.”

  One side of his mouth pulled up into a smirk.

  “You’ll like it better this time. I promise,” he said, unbuttoning his shirt.

  His hands were greenish in color across the knuckles, which scared me that he’d taken some hits to Will too.

  “Camden. Take off his t-shirt and put this on.” He held out his shirt.

  I shook my head.

  “Put this on now. I want you in my shirt.”

  “Never,” I said with determination.

  That’s when his hand came up from his side and backhanded me spinning me around and to the ground. Before I could get to my feet, he hunched behind me like a dog. His body was at full attention as he ground himself into my panties. His teeth locked down on the neck of my shirt and he tore, ripping the shirt completely off me.

  “Stop Max. I’m saying stop! I don’t want this!”

  “Yes you do,” he said into the back of my head, his putrid breath coming through my hair. He fumbled roughly with my underwear and his other arm held both my arms in place. So so much stronger than I.

  “Max. Please!” I screamed.

  He pinched my nipple hard with the hand that held my arms in place. A salty taste, almost rusty, flooded my mouth, then I realized it was blood that oozed slowly in from where he’d hit me

  “You’re hurting me!”

  After yanking my underwear free, he freed himself and started rubbing himself against me.

  “You’re dry Camden. Relax. Let me take you again. You used to be so ready for me.”

  I threw my head back trying to head butt him. I only got air.

  “That’s because I don’t want you!” I screamed. “I don’t want this. Joah!”

  I heard him spit and I didn’t know where it landed until he began rubbing the spit on my opening.

  “There you go,” he said biting down on my shoulder then moving to my neck. I think his teeth broke the skin.

  “Max! Stop! Will will kill you next time,” I yelled. Will was all I could focus on. He was all I could think about. He would protect me. He would take care of him.

  “Will won’t have to because I will,” someone gritted from behind me.

  Max loosened his grip enough that I spun around and fell flat on my back. Max was beneath Joah, but Joah was no real match f
or him. Crawling as quickly as I could toward them to help Joah, I was suddenly lifted out of the way and covered up. Drew Denton hovered over me with a snarl that would scare anyone with a pulse.

  Within a few short seconds, Drew left me and ripped Max right from Joah’s hands.

  “What the hell is it going to take to make you understand she will never be yours?” He growled. “You don’t force yourself on any woman…but never, ever, this one. You clearly aren’t smart enough to learn.”

  Joah was finishing up with someone on the phone.

  “Fuck you!” Max shouted trying to pull his pants up.

  “Call the police,” Drew directed to Joah.

  Joah’s unsure eyes darted over to mine. I felt nothing. Nothing. I didn’t care if they called the police. I didn’t care if they left me lying there. I didn’t care if Max was there or not. I was void. Like a worthless check. Valueless. But yet, there stood Will’s father fighting for me. Why was he here?

  Marni burst into the room and gasped when she spotted me.

  “Oh my heavens,” she said wrapping me into her arms. I could smell her, so I knew one or two senses were working. “Are you alright dear?”

  The word dear shot the dagger deeper into my heart. I wasn’t her dear. I was Will’s dear.

  “Call the police!” Drew shouted stirring me from my stupor and forcing me to glance in his direction.

  “You will not call the police! Let go of my son now!”

  Tracy and my father stood in the doorway. Her nostrils flared so wide I feared they’d split. My dad’s eyes were wide in shock. Here we go…

  “This is your son?” Drew asked, pointing to Max’s now limp lower half still exposed.

  “Who are you?” My dad asked.

  Tracy spotted me in Marni’s arms.

  “What have you done now?” Tracy literally scowled at me.

  “Hey!” Drew’s voice boomed around the room and I cowered. He released Max, who quickly pulled his jeans up. Drew paid him no mind as he swaggered toward Tracy, who clicked her long fake nails together. “Don’t you ever speak to Camden like that again. When Joah and I walked in here, your sorry excuse for a son had her pinned to the ground, naked and he was trying to rape her.”

  My heart felt like a balloon so full of helium that it would burst. No one had ever stood up to Tracy like that.

  “I don’t know who you are, but I want you out of this house. And you have no idea what you are talking about. Dave, have him escorted out.”

  Joah stared at Tracy then walked over to me and Marni shaking his head.

  “Perfect Joah. Take Marni home so she doesn’t have to see this but take that lying little bitch when you go.”

  Drew sarcastically chuckled. “You know, I never hit a woman before but I’m not so sure you are a woman, so I’m thinking that makes you fair game.”

  My dad started making his way toward Drew in a slow, step-by-step motion and my heart accelerated. No matter how much my father had hurt me with his reactions or lack of…I loved him.

  “I don’t suppose you’re the man who should have been takin’ care of her all these years? What would her momma think now?” Drew asked

  My dad’s eyes flickered to mine and a sadness settled into them. Holding the blanket around me, I freed myself from Marni’s hands as slow tears inched down my face.

  Dad touched my bare shoulder.

  “Dave. You know what she did last time,” Tracy spat from behind me.

  “Call the police,” my dad said quietly, his eyes never detouring from mine. “I’m sorry,” his voice cracked.

  Tears instantly pooled in my eyes.

  “Dave! Stop!” Tracy shouted.

  Joah was speaking into the phone giving them our address.

  For the first time Tracy got a good look at Max and his effed up face.

  “What happened to you?”

  “Her boyfriend did it. He was arrested for it to.” Max gave his mother the most desperate and defeated look.

  “Yep! Now that would be MY boy.” Drew smiled. “Drew Denton,” he said to my father, extending his hand. My father took his hand. “He’d be here himself except he can’t leave Douglas County, Kansas because he beat the shit out of this fool. But he’s crazy about your daughter. That’s why I’m here. Took some diggin’ but finally tracked her down. My wife is crazy about her too. And if I didn’t come home with her, I might as well not have come home at all. So, we kind of find her worth fighting for.”

  My dad nodded. “Well, you and your son have done what I should have done long ago.”

  Dad’s eyes focused on me again, and Drew took a step back.

  “It’s ok Daddy.”

  He shook his head. “No pumpkin, it’s not. But I’ll try and make it OK in time.”

  Pumpkin…I hadn’t heard that in years and warm memories flooded through me.

  The police arrived and I think Max was arrested, but Tracy was in the officers’ ears as they led him from the house. Tracy had a few choice words for my dad but fortunately Dad turned a deaf ear to her. Finally.

  Joah explained to me with grave sadness that he would have been there sooner but he had gone down to the gate to let in a guy that ‘wouldn’t go away without seeing you.’ (Mr. Denton). And Drew didn’t want me to tell Will I was coming home with him, so all I could do is listen to the desperate voicemails… repeatedly…on the private jet that Mr. Hoch sent for Drew.

  Mr. Denton gave me my distance on the short flight home and my heart was overcome with…happiness and joy thinking back about him embracing my dad and telling him he was proud of him. Then he offered the use of the jet for him to come to Kansas for a visit. Joah was right…everything does happen for a reason.

  Chapter-Will

  When I woke up—the crushing pain was there again. For seven days, I’d prayed that sleep would take it away, that when I woke, it would somehow lessen but it didn’t. It was as if someone was holding me under water, and I couldn’t come up. Worse than when you’re trying to run in a dream and your legs won’t work; or as if you’re stuck in quick sand going under and there’s nothing you can do but go down. Three hundred and eighty-one days ago was one of the worst days of my life, and at that time, I didn’t think that my heart would ever hurt like that again. This…losing Cam…was worse. Worse than any pain I could ever imagine.

  Cam was wounded and untrusting when I’d found her. I lured her in—taking her into my heart and home, and she finally trusted me. I broke down her walls and chased away her insecurities and then…I destroyed her.

  She wouldn’t take my calls. She wouldn’t text back. She wouldn’t see me. Hell, I wasn’t even sure where she was. Going on without her was not an option. I wasn’t sure if a heart could physically break, but if it were medically possible…mine was shattered.

  My cell phone rang and I glanced at the screen—my mom. She wanted answers as much as I did. Angrily, I tossed the phone into the sofa, also known as my bed for a week. I couldn’t bear to even look at my real bed. Our bed. I only saw her when I looked at it. Smelled her.

  There was one thing my father had taught me well…never get upset about losing a girl. “Just go and fight for her” he’d say. He engrained it in me daily. That and when a fight is inevitable—hit first and hit hard and always, always draw first blood.

  So far in my 24 years of life, I’d followed those rules to a tee—except until now I’d never had a girl worth fighting for. The problem with fighting, Dad had been arrested for battery more times than I could count. Most of the time charges were dropped; mainly because my mother would hire him a kick-ass attorney.

  My father was a jealous man and couldn’t abide any other man even looking at my mother. I despised his jealous rants with a vicious passion and decided when I was young that I would never be jealous of another man. And I hadn’t been…not until I met Cam.

  And now…she was gone.

  I’d promised my dad about seven months ago that I wouldn’t drink… excessively…anymore. A
fter Matty died, I drowned myself in a world of alcohol. I drank when I got up and for the most part, didn’t remember going to bed. I woke many nights with my dad next to my bed, after he’d picked me up from some girl’s house after my DUI. That was probably my lowest point. After that, I’d backed off the drinking and simply gotten laid. I fucked girl after meaningless girl not giving two shits if they had a good time. Getting off meant the pain was momentarily gone. And when the grief and the pain began to seep back into my pores, I’d find another girl. That’s what Kate was to me, when I found her wondering the halls. But then that next morning in her apartment when that mess of strawberry blonde hair came walking into their living room…I swear to God, it was as if Matty was shining a spotlight down from heaven on this girl. Her green haloed eyes. Her pouty little lips. The seven freckles on her nose. The perfect roundness of her breasts. The way her one eyebrow arched when she got angry. The way her eyes rounded and pooled with tears when she was sad and even happy sometimes. And mostly the way she’d spout off some wickedly funny, smartass comment that typically held a stitch of truth.

  She was gone…and thinking the worst of me. How could she though? Jesus, hadn’t I shown her how much she meant to me…how much I loved her? Did she think I’d choose that fucking cocksucker over her? Mom said to give her time. Time was torture. Time was wasting. Time was overrated. Time was fucking with my mind. So….I drank. A lot.

  About a-quarter of the way through the Fireball bottle, the door coming in from the garage closed. I hated myself in that moment, knowing how disappointed my mother would be. I braced myself for the disheartened look I knew her eyes would hold…I looked away.

  “Will?”

  The sweetest voice on earth rang through the room saying my name.

  My eyes closed. I wasn’t sure if she was real, so I waited. Then I felt my angel’s hand rest on my knees. My head spun. I knew I was buzzed and I was embarrassed. I’d always maintained control around her.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked, confused.